With New Year’s Eve approaching, Champagne is on my mind. Champagne is often the wine that indicates that we are celebrating but increasingly, champagne is showing up more broadly in Jewish religious life, one leading example being those like me who drink champagne for the first cup of wine at the Passover Seder. Since the first cup is served long before any food, a low alcohol and easy drinking Champagne is a great way to kick off the Seder festivities and has become a new tradition for my family.

Champagne isn’t just a trivial wine, charming for a celebration because of its bubbles, but otherwise unserious. Well-made Champagne is serious wine! Let’s uncork the kosher Champagne story.

True Champagne comes exclusively from the Champagne region of France. Nestled in the cool, chalky soils of northeastern France, this region is governed by strict AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) regulations. To earn the name “Champagne,” grapes must be grown within the Champagne region. Only a few grape varieties are permitted, with chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier being the most common. The wine must be made using the traditional méthode champenoise, a labor-intensive process involving a second fermentation in the bottle.

Here’s how it works: Grapes are pressed, and the juice undergoes its first fermentation to create a still wine. Winemakers then blend wines from different grape varieties, vineyards and even years to create the desired flavor profile. A mixture of sugar and yeast is added to the blended wine, which is then bottled and sealed. This step creates the iconic bubbles as carbon dioxide forms, the important second fermentation taking place in the bottle.

Then bottles are aged on their lees (spent yeast cells) for at least 12 months, and then at least three more months before disgorging. Prestige cuvées often age for years. Bottles are then gradually tilted and rotated to collect sediment in the neck. The sediment is disgorged by freezing the neck of the bottle and ejecting the plug. Finally, a mixture of wine and sugar (liqueur d’expédition) is added to balance acidity and sweetness, determining the wine’s final style (e.g., brut, extra dry, demi-sec).

This intricate process results in a wine with vibrant acidity, fine bubbles and a depth of flavor unmatched by other methods. The complexity of this process is also why Champagne is often expensive!

A few renowned producers regularly craft special runs of kosher Champagne. Drappier Carte d’Or Brut Kosher, known for its elegant blend of pinot noir, offers notes of stone fruits and brioche. Laurent-Perrier Kosher Champagne, is a classic brut Champagne with a crisp, citrusy profile.

Superstar producers like Dom Perignon and Krug have yet to make kosher Champagne, perhaps in part because the complexity of their blending process may be the challenge. Krug blends wines from 10-15 vintages every year to maintain a unique consistency of style regardless of that year’s particular harvest, and unless each of those vintages has a reserve for blending that was produced with kosher supervision…

While Champagne is the gold standard, other sparkling wines offer delightful alternatives: Crémant in the name for sparkling wines from other French regions, made using the same méthode champenoise. Alsace Koenig Cremant is a lovely and affordable kosher option in this category.

Cava is Spain’s sparkling wine, primarily made in Catalonia using native grapes and a production process similar to champagne. The grapes used are xarel-lo, macabei and parellada. Kosher cava from Elvi Wines balances crisp acidity with flavors of citrus and almonds.

Prosecco is Italy’s sparkling wine, made from the Glera grape and produced using the Charmat tank method, meaning that the secondary fermentation happens in a tank, not in the bottle. This wine is known for fresh, fruity flavors. The Prosecco DOC is in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy. The bubbles here are even softer than cava, for those who prefer a gentler fizz. A number of kosher prosecco wines are available, including from industry giant Bartenura and even a new release in a stylish bottle under the name of fashion designer Vera Wang.

Spumante and frizzante moscato are also Italian wines, sparkling and semi-sparkling, respectively, and made from the muscat grape using the tank method. Baglietti, an established Italian brand, began working with kosher producer and importer CEDEV in 2022, releasing a sparkling sweet white and a rosé in beautiful cut glass bottles. The Baglietti Moscato No.5 and the Moscato Rose are made from moscato fior d’arancia (orange blossom moscato), a sweet and aromatic variety distinct from other kosher moscato on the market.

I tasted pear and honeydew when I sampled the Moscato No.5 and could see why the refreshing taste, affordable price, rigorous kosher certification and elegant presentation have made it a popular option on Shabbat tables. CEDEV (via its U.S. arm, Noble Wines) also imports Blumantti Moscato, a frizzante made tank style from moscato bianco grapes yielding gentle bubbles and a fresh fruity flavor.

California, Israel, Australia, South Africa and other regions also make excellent sparkling wines, many using the traditional Champagne method. Typically, cool regions are required for quality sparkling wine, whether chilled by latitude, elevation or cool ocean breezes.

Israel’s burgeoning wine industry has embraced sparkling wines, sometimes made using the simpler Charmat method. But the winner for both quality and value is Yarden, which leverages its high altitude terroir to make a traditional method Blanc du Blanc that is top-rated every year. Gilgal, Yarden’s cheaper line, also makes a sparkling which gets good ratings. More recently, Raziel, the new winery launched by the family that runs the prestigious Castel Winery, has produced a high quality but pricey traditional method sparkling wine.

California’s cooler area vineyards have long been a hub for sparkling wine production. Leading kosher wineries such as Herzog, Covenant and Hagafen produce exquisite sparkling wines using various methods. Herzog’s sparkling brut, for example, combines elegance and approachability, making it a favorite for celebrations. Newcomer Binah Winery in Pennsylvania has had surprising success with its medal-winning Blanc de Blancs traditional method sparkling production.

Selecting the right sparkling wine can seem daunting, but a few tips simplify the process: Know that “brut” is dry, while “demi-sec” has noticeable sweetness. Brut champagne pairs beautifully with sushi or roasted chicken, while sweeter options complement desserts. A kosher prosecco might be ideal for a casual brunch, while kosher Champagne is a luxurious choice for weddings or milestone celebrations.

L’chaim!

Jules Polonetsky is a WSET 3 certified wine expert writing about wine when not busy with his day job as CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum, a global tech policy think tank.